Dallas Cowboys Blog

A look at the keys to victory for the Cowboys in their matchup against the Seahawks

The Cowboys will try to even their record at the halfway point of the season when they face the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday at noon. Here is a look at the keys to victory for the Cowboys:

Get to the quarterback
When defensive coordinator Rob Ryan came to Dallas, he brought an attack-minded scheme. The Cowboys have implemented it with varying degrees of success this season. But this week they should be able to generate a sustained pass rush. Seattle’s quarterbacks, after all, have been left high and dry by the Seahawks’ vulnerable offensive line. They have been sacked a league-high 28 times and have been particularly victimized by the poor play of right tackle James Carpenter. Carpenter has allowed five sacks and nine quarterback hits, according to Pro Football Focus.
Get Romo in rhythm
As the Cowboys collected 294 rushing yards in their blowout victory over St. Louis, they didn’t need Tony Romo to drive the offense. The following week, Romo was asked to rally the team under adverse circumstances in a 34-7 loss to Philadelphia. In a span of eight days, the Cowboys’ carried out two unusual gameplans and the passing game fell out of sync as a result. Romo, who has thrown for 369 yards in the last two games, needs to find the rhythm he had earlier this season when the Cowboys’ air attack was flourishing.

Control possession
Last week, the Cowboys maintained control of the ball for less than 18 minutes as the defense struggled to make stops and the offense misfired repeatedly. Not surprisingly, they fell behind by 34 points before they mustered their lone touchdown against the Eagles. Based on their track record, the Seahawks will be hard-pressed to dominate possession like Philadelphia did. Seattle has pieced together fewer 10-play drives than any other team in the NFL. They are also ranked last in time of possession, holding the ball an average of 24 minutes, 39 seconds.

Don’t underestimate opposition
It would be easy to overlook Seattle, a team that is 2-5 and lost a 6-3 rock fight against Cleveland earlier this season. But the Seahawks haven’t been a complete disaster. They went into MetLife Stadium and defeated the New York Giants, stealing one of the surprise victories of the NFL season. They also pushed the Atlanta Falcons to the brink of defeat before falling 30-28. The Cowboys can’t afford to look past a Seattle team that has shown it is capable of being competitive.